Orifice cartridge



l March 22, 1949. f w, A, RAY 2,464,942

onIF-IcE CARTRIDGE Filed Deo. L?, 1946 //LL/AMAQAY Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE URIFTCE CARTRIDGE Application December 17, 1946, Serial No. 716,682

(Cl. 13S-45) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for determining the flow capacity of valves, in particular, those of the thermal-expansion type employed in refrigerating systems. In such systems it is necessary that the valve be exactly sized to meet the particular conditions of operation and the valve is therefore usually provided with a fitting, having an orifice controlling flow through the valve, which may be removed and replaced by another having an orifice of suitable size if it is desired to change the flow capacity of the valve. This necessitates maintenance by the installer of a relatively large supply of extra orifice iittings, some of which may never be used, and the production by the manufacturer of many additional parts.

It is therefore an object of this invention to reduce such waste and the possibility of failure of the installer to have the proper orice-i'ltting on hand when needed; this object being accomplished by the provision o a readily removableand-replaceable orifice-litting or -cartridge whose flow capacity can be altered by the installer.

For full understanding of the invention, and further appreciation of its features and advantages, reierenoe is to be had to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims.

The single gure of the drawing is a front elevation of a thermal-expansion valve; a portion oi the body of the valve being broken away to show, in section, an orifice-cartridge embodying my present invention.

The thermal-expansion valve shown in the drawing may be similar in construction to that shown in Matteson Patent No. 2,327,542, issued August 24, 1943, and comprises a body having an inclined inlet projection I3 and a horizontal outlet projection I2. Leading from the exterior of the valve body is a bore I4 having a reduced inward extension I5 which communicates with a valve chamber I6. The inlet passage I'I of the valve is connected by a reduced extension |8 to the bore I4, there being in the passage |'I the usual strainer I9.

Between the bore I4 and its extension I5 is a shallow circular recess wherein one end of a hollow cylindrical member 2| is seated, the other end portion of the member being supported in the hollow of a tubular screw 22 threaded in the outer end of bore I4 and having a head 23 formed to sealingly engage the outer surface of the valve body; a compression spring 24 in the hollow of the screw serving to maintain the member 2| seated.

Pressed in the left-hand end of member 2| is a plug 25 providing an orifice 26, and in the opposite end wall of the member is another orifice 21 which diiers in size from that of oriiice 26. In the side wall of member 2| is a relatively large aperture 28 whereby the interior of the member is placed in communication with bore I4, and hence with the inlet of the valve. More than one such aperture may be provided if desired.

With the parts in the positions as shown in the drawing, the flow capacity of the valve is determined by the size of orice 2G, since liuid entering the valve must pass by way of bore I4 and aperture 28 to the interior of the orifice-member 2| and thence through the orice 26 to the boreextension I5 and valve-chamber I5. To change the flow capacity of the valve, the screw 22 is removed and along with it the member 2|, this member then being reversed end-ior-end and remounted in the valve, the capacity of the valve then being determined by orifice 21.

The specic embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is susceptible of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I intend therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An orifice cartridge for restricting flow through a valve-passage, comprising: an elongated hollow member having like end portions adapted to be connected, interchangeably, to an end of said passage; there being in each of the ends of said member an orifice of respectively diierent size, and in the side wall of the member an aperture or apertures, communicating with said oriiices, whose flow capacity is at least equal to that of the larger of the orilces.

2. An orifice cartridge for restricting flow through a valve-passage, comprising: an elongated hollow cylindrical member having like end portions adapted to be connected, interchangeably, to an end of said passage; there being in each of the ends of said member an orice of respectively different size, and in the side wall of the member an aperture or apertures, communicating through the hollow of the member with said orifices, whose ow capacity is greater than that of the larger of the orifices; the flow capacity of the hollow of the member also being greater than that of the larger of the orices.

WILLIAM A. RAY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Matteson Aug. 24, 1943 Number 

